Teardrops
by KingdomKeyDarkside
Summary: Aqua's feeling the pain of stress and a hospitalized family member. But there are some candles in her darkness. For a friend.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix, or any of the characters in this fic. Enjoy!**

Aqua felt like she was the only person in the world. She was in her room, sobbing to herself. Teardrops stained the sheets of paper she had been studying off of for the past month and a half. The Master Qualification Exam was inching closer and closer each day, and she couldn't take it anymore. Her Grandfather, who lived in Radiant Garden, had been critically injured, hospitalized. and she had no way of going to see him. She had not learned how to transform her Keyblade into a Rider yet, so she felt completely hopeless. She was landlocked in the Land of Departure, with no way out.

She threw the papers to the side and began to draw, in an attempt to compose herself. She sketched out a star-like object, and shaded it in. If she and Terra passed their exams, the three of them would part ways, and they needed something to remember each other by. Thinking about her friends separating made her even sadder. A single tear dropped onto the sheet of paper and she threw it to the side with the exam papers. She stood up and left the room.

_A walk should do me good._ she thought to herself as she left the room. She walked down to the courtyard and sat on one of the benches. She sat for a moment in silence, and then a whimper escaped her mouth as a thought of her grandfather passed through her mind. A tear rolled down her cheek. It was followed by a few more, and then silence. A few thoughts that were intended to be comforting raced through her head. _You can't do anything about it. It's his time. He won't feel a thing. _These "comforting" thoughts only brought another army of tears.

Master Eraqus happened to be walking past the eastern side of the courtyard. He stepped in and walked over to where Aqua was sitting. "My apprentice, are you alright? You seem shaken."

Aqua looked up at him, teary-eyed. "Do you think that I am alright? Do you know what has happened in my family?"

Eraqus recalled what he had heard a few weeks ago. Her grandfather had falled down the stairs and broke a few ribs. One of them had almost punctured his heart. He sat down next to her and placed an arm around her shoulder. "Aqua, if there is anything I can do to help…"

Aqua had not heard Eraqus _ever _refer to her by her name. It was always 'Apprentice'. "Master, I believe there is something you can do. I want you to teach me to Ride my Keyblade." Aqua choked back tears as she spoke.

_Of course. Aqua wanted to go see her grandfather. _"The first thing I will teach you when classes resume is how to Ride."

Aqua then remembered Ven, and how he wanted to learn more about his Armor. "But, Master. What about Ven? He wanted to master his Armor training."

"Ven can wait. I know how much you want to go to Radiant Garden." And with that, Eraqus stood up and left.

"Thank you." Aqua whispered under her breath. She stood up and left to return to studying.

When she arrived at her room, there was a letter attached to her door. She took it down and entered the room, reading it as she went. When she reached her bed, she fell to her knees and cried more then she ever had. She dropped the letter and put her head into the sheets.

The letter read:

_Dearest Aqua,_

_I do not wish for you to see your grandfather in his current state._

_He has gotten far worse since the last time I wrote to you._

_I absolutely forbid you to come to see him, for it will only worry you more._

_I want you to focus on your studies and put us out of your mind right now._

_Loving you always, _

_Grandma_

_How could she say that? I can only worry more now. _Various thoughts flew through her mind as her crying got stronger and her breathing became deeper.

Ven was standing at the door. He silently walked in, and turned around, beckoning for somebody else to follow. Terra slipped in silently behind him. They got closer to Aqua and stood side by side.

Ven whispered, "Aqua."

She looked up to see her two best friends standing there, with slight smiles on their faces. She moved her hands to stand up and realized that her tears had covered a whole section of the bedding. "What are you two doing here?" She said as she stood up

Terra spoke this time. "Aqua, we're here for you. We always have been, and we always will be. Whatever you need, we will do."

"What can you two do? We're stuck in this world, and I have no way of helping my grandfather." She said scornfully, not taking what they had said for truth.

"Well, we've already started. My father knows the best medics in Radiant Garden, and they're on their way to help as we speak." Terra spoke rather quietly.

"And I'm gonna help you as much as I can to get you ready for the Master Qualification Exam. Anything you need, I'll do. I could be your training dummy, I could help you study, whatever you need." Ven stood up a little straighter.

Terra gave a small chuckle. "Heaven knows you're gonna need help with your exam when it comes around. It'll be good for you to start studying now." He muttered. Ven gave him a jab in the side.

Aqua laughed a little at what they had said. "You guys are the best." She gathered them into a hug. _Where would I be without my friends? _She thought to herself.

Terra and Ven had left, and Aqua reached for the paper she had been drawing on. She drew three stars, a green one, a brown one, and a blue one. She neatly piled up her papers she had been studying and grabbed a textbook from her shelf. She opened it to the section on a world called Destiny Islands, and found an excerpt about a special fruit that grew there. She began to take notes on it.

Her Grandfather flashed into her mind. She shed a tear, and many were to follow. But, while she cried, she wore a smile on her face. Those two were her candles in the darkness. Terra and Ven would be alongside her, forever.

**This fic was for a friend going through these things, in hopes that she would be inspired and rise above her troubles. Me and the rest are always here for you, TNE.**


End file.
